Standing on the Shoulders of the Suffragettes, Buses Plea for Pope to Ordain Women

They marched relentlessly, they got tossed in jail, they endured hunger strikes and chained themselves to the White House gates—and thanks to them, the brilliant women who fought so hard for the right to vote, many of us today enjoy freedoms of which they never dreamed.

Today is Women’s Equality Day, a celebration of the 19th amendment which the Women’s Suffrage Movement fought so hard to attain, and the men in power ratified in 1920. As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us. Let us remember the fierce determination of the women who won for us the right to vote, the right to engage in the political process. Let us honor their sacrifice, engage in the political process, and embrace your right to vote!”

But there’s still a long way to go, baby, especially in the realm of politics. Despite the growing trend of ferocious female politicos competing in recent elections, women only hold 17 percent of the seats in congress. As Erin Vilardi of the White House Project said, “The handful of women that you see near the top is just that—a handful.”

We can solve that, of course, by exercising the rights our foremothers won; get out, get involved, and vote! Thankfully, there’s no need for us to chain ourselves to anything anymore—unless you enjoy that kind of thing.

In other modern suffrage movements, the Catholic Women’s Organization has plastered its message on UK buses in preparation for the Pope’s visit to England and Scotland—“Ordain Women Now!”

Fifteen buses will sport the revolutionary religious message for a full month and travel by major destinations, such as Westminster Hall, in hopes of catching Pope Benedict’s attention during his speaking gigs. Women as political and spiritual leaders, shoulder-to-shoulder with men? Now that's what dreams are made of.

Comments

Yes indeed!!! This was such an important struggle, and so many women do not exercise their hard-won voting rights!
Anybody who watches the movie Iron Jawed Angels, about Alice Paul et al, and the battle for suffrage, will NEVER MISS A VOTE AGAIN.